Make desexing compulsory and affordable: refuge operator

THE operator of a Sunshine Coast animal refuge is demanding compulsory desexing to bring the number of unwanted animals, particularly cats, under control.

Soquilichi Rescue Ranch has about 100 cats in care at its Maroochy River base and with foster carers from south-easet Queensland through to the New South Wales mid north coast.

Owner operator Miranda Wells said the refuge was full but that was almost a permanent state.

"When are we not full?" she said.

Mrs Wells offers shelter to horses, dogs and other animals but estimated cats made up 98% of the animals in Soquilichi's care.

She put the cat problem down to a lack of desexing, mainly due to the cost of the surgery.

"People get cute little kittens and when they find out how much it's going to be to desex them - desexing prices are through the roof - for some people it comes down to a choice of putting food on the table or paying the rent, so they put off desexing," she said.

"And then the cat has a litter and all of a sudden, they've got more."

Mrs Wells said she would like to see desexing made compulsory but at the same time, it needed to be affordable.

She said she would like to see the procedure offered at reduced prices on the Sunshine Coast.

The Animal Welfare League desexes female cats from $40 and males from $20 on the Gold Coast.

"I don't know why we don't have it here," she said.

Mrs Wells said she resorted to "begging" on Facebook to meet the costs of the animals in Soquilich's care but she hopes a $1 a week sponsorship club will also help foor the bill.